Lot Essay
This carpet is one of ninety-three carpets commissioned by Louis XIV for the Grande Galerie du Palais du Louvre. In both execution and design, this series of Grand Gallery carpets must be seen as one of the most ambitious and important projects of Louis XIV's patronage of the decorative arts. When completed, the ensemble consisted of approximately 3,825 square meters of carpet--a figure even more astounding when it is considered that the technique of pile-carpet weaving was relatively new to France. The accomplishment of the Grand Gallery carpets, however, is not a result of their quantity, but rather their quality. In terms of both design and weave, they are arguably the finest carpets ever woven by the Savonnerie. Pierre Verlet has written an exhaustive study of the Grand Gallery carpets, as well as the history of the Savonnerie workshops, which includes a listing, brief description and layout plan for each known carpet, as well as the known history of ownership for each piece (P. Verlet, The James A. de Rothschild Collection of Waddesdon Manor, The Savonnerie, London, 1982). Verlet has based his plan of the Gallery carpets and his list on records in the Archives Nationale, Guiffery's inventories of royal furniture published in the 19th century and the royal inventory of 1775. Unfortunately, as not all of the pieces are still accounted for today, Verlet's plan and lists are not complete. The ninety-three carpets were intended to be laid side-by-side along the entire length of the Grand Gallery complementing the buildings ceiling and wall decorations. The carpets were all of equal length, approximately 8.92 meters, but differed in their width depending on their placement within the gallery or the series' overall design scheme. The designs of the individual carpets varied greatly but they all share common border designs, lushly scrolling acanthus leaves, a brown-black ground and cartouche frame panels at each end with either trompe l'oeil bas relief sculptures or scenic landscapes. This combination of shared basic design elements and variance within each carpet lent the ensemble overall continuity while at the same time avoiding monotony (ibid, p. 191.) The Grand Gallery was divided into two areas by a pavillion and accordingly the carpets can also be divided into two groups; those woven for the first part (the first 35 carpets) and those for the second section (the 37th through 93rd carpets). The central pavillion carpet (the 36th carpet) is the only carpet from the series that was not completed. The carpets from these two divisions share the common elements mentioned above, but differ slightly in their overall character. The basic design of the carpets in the first group is often repetitive with changes to the central medallion or other distinguishing attributes. The repetition of design does not occur as often in the second group and the designs of many of the carpets from this section are intended to glorify the political, social and artistic accomplishments of Louis XIV (ibid, p. 190).
The commission to weave the carpets was shared by both Dupont and the Lourdet workshops who were now working in a competitive collaboration at the Savonnerie factory in Chaillot. The weaving of the commission took approximately twenty years to complete with carpets being delivered between the years of 1668 and 1689. From production and delivery records kept by Dupont, we know today that he was responsible for thirty-two of the Grand Gallery carpets and the Lourdet workshops for the remaining sixty (ibid, p. 179, notes 25-41). In fact, more than ninety-two of the Grand Gallery carpets were woven. Louis XIV used some of the pieces as diplomatic gifts and these carpets were then replaced in the series by carpets of the same design woven within the same time period. It is also interesting to note that the carpets do not seem to have been woven in any chronological order; Dupont delivered the 7th, 22nd, 24th and 25th carpet in 1673 and the 8th and 42nd in 1675. Although it is not definitively known who was responsible for the designs of the Grand Gallery carpets, it is generally accepted that the overall design scheme was developed by Charles LeBrun, who designed most of the other decor for the Grand Gallery. In developing his ideas, it is likely that LeBrun worked in collaboration with Louis LeVaux, the current architect for the Palace. Two painters, Francois Francart and Baudoin Yvart, are mentioned in the accounts of the Bâtiments du Roi in connection with the carpets cartoons, but they were probably just employed to execute the designs of LeBrun or LeVaux (ibid, pp. 181-182.)
Even though the entire series of carpets was nearly completed, it is unlikely that they were ever fully displayed together in the Grand Gallery. By the time the final carpets were completed, Louis XIV's attentions were focused on the building of Versailles and he had more or less abandoned work on the Louvre. The importance of the Grand Gallery carpets, however, was not forgotten by Louis XIV nor lost on his immediate descendents. For the seventy-eight years following Louis XIV's death, the carpets were stored virtually intact by the Garde-Meuble. Occasionally, some of the pieces from the series were used by Louis XV and Louis XVI for special ceremonies or events, such as the 1761 and 1763 lit-de-justice at the Parlement of Paris and the celebration of the birth of the Dauphin in 1781 at Notre-Dame (ibid, pp. 200-201.) The use of the carpets at these events, at a time when the carpets should have been considered out of fashion, underscores the high regard with which the Grand Gallery carpets were held throughout the eighteenth century. Unfortunately, during the revolution and the rule of the Directoire, many of the carpets were dispersed to government officials or used to pay governmental debts. This subsequent use of the carpets caused many of the pieces to be cut down in size for less palatial rooms or fall into general disrepair through neglect. Naturally, the symbols of the Ancien Regime or Louis XIV were also removed from many of the carpets during this period. Ironically, the Directoire's use of the carpets in this manner demonstrates that they also appreciated the carpets as works of art and in many cases recognized them as valuable commodities.
The carpet offered here is not readily identifiable in Verlet's book and does not appear to have been known to him at the time of his publication. By design and structural characteristics, however, this carpet is unmistakably one of the Grand Gallery carpets. A careful reading of Verlet's list in relation to the design elements seen on this carpet reveal two possibilities for its original placement within the Grand Gallery series. The present carpet is either the 61st carpet (Royal Inventory No. 202) or the 89th carpet (Royal Inventory No. 230). Verlet's listing of the 61st carpet is as follows, "The carpet has a cornucopia and acanthus scrolls in each of its four corners. The large panel has a white ground with trophies of arms, and in the centre, another panel with a gris de lin ground. On a blue ground, in the middle, are crowned interlaced LL's surrounded by four Wings of Fame in mother-of-pearl colour. At the end of the carpet is a landscape in an oval border. Width 2 5/8 a. (3.12 m.) Delivered by Dupont on 3 May 1680; the twentieth of the series woven by him. Acquired by Bourdillon in an V. Present whereabouts unknown." (ibid, p. 489.) Verlet's listing for the 89th carpet is, "The large panel has a white ground, with trophies of arms, and a head of Apollo at each side. In the middle is an oval panel with a blue ground, with a royal monogram surmounted by crowns and surrounded by a garland of flowers and red gadroons; at each end is a trophy of arms with a helmet surmounted by an owl. At each end of the carpet is an oval landscape. Width 3 1/2 a. (3.65 m.) Delivered by Veuve Lourdet on 11 October 1682. Acquired by Bourdillon in an V, but withdrawn by the Directoire. Present whereabouts unknown." The most prominent identifying elements for both the 61st and 89th carpets are distinctly found in the offered carpet: namely the "crowned interlacing LL's surrounded by four Wings of Fame" (61st carpet) and the "trophy of arms with a helmet surmounted by an owl" (89th carpet). These specific criteria for identification do not appear in any of the other royal inventory entries from which Verlet takes his descriptive passages. Unfortunately, because of the brevity of the royal inventory entries and the fragmentary nature of the present carpet, we may never be able to further identify the schematic placement of this piece, unless another Grand Gallery carpet appears which better relates to one of these entries.
Interestingly, both the 61st and 89th Grand Gallery carpets were acquired by Raymond Bourdillon on July 26, 1797. Bourdillon received forty-four Savonnerie carpets, including twenty-eight of the Grand Gallery carpets, from the Directoire as payment for horse fodder he supplied the revolutionary army. The 89th carpet was taken back by the Directoire as it was declared necessary for the service of the Directoire and the ministries (ibid, p. 205 and pp. 431-432 note 135.)
Most of the extant Grand Gallery carpets known today are preserved in museums, with more than fifty examples in national collections of France, three pieces in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, three pieces in the Huntington Art Gallery, San Marino, CA and four carpets at Waddesdon Manor, as well as numerous other museums and public collections.
This carpet retains good full pile, color and much of the original design, allowing us to experience the splendour of the Grand Gallery carpets as enjoyed by Louis XIV in the seventeenth century. It is also exciting to partially fill another gap in Verlet's accounting of the carpets and further complete our knowledge of the Grand Gallery carpets.
The commission to weave the carpets was shared by both Dupont and the Lourdet workshops who were now working in a competitive collaboration at the Savonnerie factory in Chaillot. The weaving of the commission took approximately twenty years to complete with carpets being delivered between the years of 1668 and 1689. From production and delivery records kept by Dupont, we know today that he was responsible for thirty-two of the Grand Gallery carpets and the Lourdet workshops for the remaining sixty (ibid, p. 179, notes 25-41). In fact, more than ninety-two of the Grand Gallery carpets were woven. Louis XIV used some of the pieces as diplomatic gifts and these carpets were then replaced in the series by carpets of the same design woven within the same time period. It is also interesting to note that the carpets do not seem to have been woven in any chronological order; Dupont delivered the 7th, 22nd, 24th and 25th carpet in 1673 and the 8th and 42nd in 1675. Although it is not definitively known who was responsible for the designs of the Grand Gallery carpets, it is generally accepted that the overall design scheme was developed by Charles LeBrun, who designed most of the other decor for the Grand Gallery. In developing his ideas, it is likely that LeBrun worked in collaboration with Louis LeVaux, the current architect for the Palace. Two painters, Francois Francart and Baudoin Yvart, are mentioned in the accounts of the Bâtiments du Roi in connection with the carpets cartoons, but they were probably just employed to execute the designs of LeBrun or LeVaux (ibid, pp. 181-182.)
Even though the entire series of carpets was nearly completed, it is unlikely that they were ever fully displayed together in the Grand Gallery. By the time the final carpets were completed, Louis XIV's attentions were focused on the building of Versailles and he had more or less abandoned work on the Louvre. The importance of the Grand Gallery carpets, however, was not forgotten by Louis XIV nor lost on his immediate descendents. For the seventy-eight years following Louis XIV's death, the carpets were stored virtually intact by the Garde-Meuble. Occasionally, some of the pieces from the series were used by Louis XV and Louis XVI for special ceremonies or events, such as the 1761 and 1763 lit-de-justice at the Parlement of Paris and the celebration of the birth of the Dauphin in 1781 at Notre-Dame (ibid, pp. 200-201.) The use of the carpets at these events, at a time when the carpets should have been considered out of fashion, underscores the high regard with which the Grand Gallery carpets were held throughout the eighteenth century. Unfortunately, during the revolution and the rule of the Directoire, many of the carpets were dispersed to government officials or used to pay governmental debts. This subsequent use of the carpets caused many of the pieces to be cut down in size for less palatial rooms or fall into general disrepair through neglect. Naturally, the symbols of the Ancien Regime or Louis XIV were also removed from many of the carpets during this period. Ironically, the Directoire's use of the carpets in this manner demonstrates that they also appreciated the carpets as works of art and in many cases recognized them as valuable commodities.
The carpet offered here is not readily identifiable in Verlet's book and does not appear to have been known to him at the time of his publication. By design and structural characteristics, however, this carpet is unmistakably one of the Grand Gallery carpets. A careful reading of Verlet's list in relation to the design elements seen on this carpet reveal two possibilities for its original placement within the Grand Gallery series. The present carpet is either the 61st carpet (Royal Inventory No. 202) or the 89th carpet (Royal Inventory No. 230). Verlet's listing of the 61st carpet is as follows, "The carpet has a cornucopia and acanthus scrolls in each of its four corners. The large panel has a white ground with trophies of arms, and in the centre, another panel with a gris de lin ground. On a blue ground, in the middle, are crowned interlaced LL's surrounded by four Wings of Fame in mother-of-pearl colour. At the end of the carpet is a landscape in an oval border. Width 2 5/8 a. (3.12 m.) Delivered by Dupont on 3 May 1680; the twentieth of the series woven by him. Acquired by Bourdillon in an V. Present whereabouts unknown." (ibid, p. 489.) Verlet's listing for the 89th carpet is, "The large panel has a white ground, with trophies of arms, and a head of Apollo at each side. In the middle is an oval panel with a blue ground, with a royal monogram surmounted by crowns and surrounded by a garland of flowers and red gadroons; at each end is a trophy of arms with a helmet surmounted by an owl. At each end of the carpet is an oval landscape. Width 3 1/2 a. (3.65 m.) Delivered by Veuve Lourdet on 11 October 1682. Acquired by Bourdillon in an V, but withdrawn by the Directoire. Present whereabouts unknown." The most prominent identifying elements for both the 61st and 89th carpets are distinctly found in the offered carpet: namely the "crowned interlacing LL's surrounded by four Wings of Fame" (61st carpet) and the "trophy of arms with a helmet surmounted by an owl" (89th carpet). These specific criteria for identification do not appear in any of the other royal inventory entries from which Verlet takes his descriptive passages. Unfortunately, because of the brevity of the royal inventory entries and the fragmentary nature of the present carpet, we may never be able to further identify the schematic placement of this piece, unless another Grand Gallery carpet appears which better relates to one of these entries.
Interestingly, both the 61st and 89th Grand Gallery carpets were acquired by Raymond Bourdillon on July 26, 1797. Bourdillon received forty-four Savonnerie carpets, including twenty-eight of the Grand Gallery carpets, from the Directoire as payment for horse fodder he supplied the revolutionary army. The 89th carpet was taken back by the Directoire as it was declared necessary for the service of the Directoire and the ministries (ibid, p. 205 and pp. 431-432 note 135.)
Most of the extant Grand Gallery carpets known today are preserved in museums, with more than fifty examples in national collections of France, three pieces in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, three pieces in the Huntington Art Gallery, San Marino, CA and four carpets at Waddesdon Manor, as well as numerous other museums and public collections.
This carpet retains good full pile, color and much of the original design, allowing us to experience the splendour of the Grand Gallery carpets as enjoyed by Louis XIV in the seventeenth century. It is also exciting to partially fill another gap in Verlet's accounting of the carpets and further complete our knowledge of the Grand Gallery carpets.